Multi-barrel firearm with rotatable and reciprocable hammer



y 18966 R. L. HILLBERG 3,260,

MULTI-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER Filed Dec.23, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 r i a I k w O I I g BY EOBERT L./'//LLBE wmmATTORNEY July 12, 1966 R. 1.. HILLBERG MUL'II-BARREL FIREARM WITHROTATABLE AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER s Sheets-Sheet z Filed Dec. 23,. 1964INVENTOR. ROBERT L. H/LLBERG Mfim ATTORNEY July 12, 1966 L. HILLBERG3,260,009

MULTI-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE AND RECIPROCABLE HAMMER Filed Dec.25, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. H/LLBERG BYM/FW A TZ'ORNEVUnited States Patent 3,260,009 MULTI-BARREL FIREARM WITH ROTATABLE ANDRECIPROCABLE HAMMER Robert L. Hillberg, Cheshire, Conn., assignor toOlin Mathieson Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed Dec. 23,1964, Ser. No. 420,562 3 Claims. (Cl. 42-69) This invention relates to amulti-barrel close range weapon with high killing potential.

More specifically, this invention relates to a four barrel break-openfirearm which has a minimum number of working parts, is simple tooperate even by inexperienced personnel, and is economical tomanufacture.

The firearm of this invention is a four barrel weapon adapted for firingarea type ammunition such as shotshells or the like. This type ofammunition compensates for the accuracy of inexperienced shooters, andthe lack of time to take proper aim.

A fixed chamber aligned with each barrel accommodates a round ofammunition. A squeeze type trigger adapted to be pulled by four fingersis operative to cook and index a single rotating hammer housed in therear of the firearm. The hammer consecutively actuates a firing pinaligned with each chamber to fire the chamber. The firing mechanism isnot dependent in any way on recoil or other forces for its operation. Amisfire in any given chamber will therefore not effect the firing of therest of the unfired rounds.

A cam on the hammer is operative to rotate the hammer and cause adifferent chamber to be fired each time the trigger is pulled.

The firearm of this invention is compact, rugged, reliable, simple tooperate and delivers high fire power at close ranges.

Because the firing mechanism is extremely simple and has very few movingparts, there is little chance for malfunctions. The action cannot becomejammed as in more conventional firearms.

The design is rugged and simple so that the firearm can be readily airdropped and used effectively by unskilled shooters with great effect.

This invention will now be described in detail with reference to apreferred embodiment illustrated in the appended drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the firearm of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional side view of the firearm of this invention takenalong the line 2-2 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 3 is a side view partly sectioned showing the firearm of thisinvention broken open.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the firearm of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the rotary hammer used in the firearm of thisinvention.

FIGURE 7 is a side view of the hammer.

FIGURE 8 is a view showing the other end of the hammer.

Referring now to the drawings, the firearm comprises a front barrelhousing 1 and a rear trigger housing 2 joined together by pivot pin 3.The firearm is broken open for loading and unloading shells by pivotingabout pin 3, as shown in FIGURE 3.

A latch 4 pivotally attached to barrel housing 1 interlocks with lugs 5on rear housing 2 to lock the firearm in the firing position shown inFIGURE 2. Latch 4 is provided with openings 6 which interlock with lugs5. A spring 7 and plunger 8 act on latch 4 to bias the latch toward itslocked position.

The barrel housing 1 is provided with barrels, 9, 10, 11

Patented July 12, 1966 and 12 as seen in FIGURE 4. The barrels 9-12 maybe formed integral with the housing 1, or may comprise insel'ts fittedinto the housing. Alternatively, the front housing may consist of fourindividual barrels fastened together by suitable means.

A chamber is formed at the breech end of each barrel to accommodate ashotshell or the like.

A grip 13 may be provided on barrel housing 1 to facilitate handling thefirearm. The, grip 13 may be formed integral with the barrel housing orattached thereto by conventional means.

Trigger housing 2 includes a piston grip portion 14 which may be formedintegral with the housing or attached thereto by conventional means.

A breech plug 17 is mounted in rear housing 2. The breech plug has ahollow cylindrical rear portion 18 which accommodates a cylindricalrotating hammer 19. Mounted in the breech plug are a plurality of firingpins 16. A firing pin 16 is provided which is aligned with each of thechambers provided in front housing 1. Each firing pin is provided with aspring (not shown) urging the firing pin rearwardly away from thechamber. A snap ring or equivalent means is utilized to hold each of thefiring pins 16 in the breech plug.

Hammer 19 includes a cylindrical body portion 20 and an enlarged rearshoulder 21. The body portion 20 is concentrically housed in the hollowrear portion 18 of the breech plug 17. A spring 22 extends between theinner end of the hammer 19 and a screw plug 23 which closes and providesaccess to the interior of the rear housing 2. The spring 22 is guided byguide rod 24 formed integral with or attached to the breech plug 20 andextending rearwardly therefrom.

The cylindrical hammer 19 is provided with a cam track 30 formed on theouter surface thereof as clearly seen in FIGURE 7. A pin 31 (see FIG. 2)mounted in rear housing 2 engages the cam track and causes the hammer torotate as it is moved rearwardly and released by the trigger meansdescribed below. A plurality of recesses 32, 33 and 34 (see FIG. 8-) areformed in the forward end of hammer 19. These recesses are aligned withfiring pins mounted in the breech plug so that \those firing pinsaligned with a recess are not engaged and fired. Only the single firingpin aligned with and engaged by the portion of the hammer face which isnot recessed will be actuated.

A trigger 41 is pivotally mounted in grip portion 14 by means of a pivotpin 42. Spring means 43 urges the trigger in a counterclockwisedirection about the pivot pin. A pawl 45 is mounted in a recess 46formed in the upper portion of the trigger. A spring 47 is mounted inrecess 48 in the trigger and has portions 49 and 50 engaging a recess 51formed in the pawl.

In operation, the firearm is broken open as seen in FIGURE 3 andshotshells are positioned in each of the flour chambers. The gun isclosed and is ready to be The trigger 41 is then squeezed. The triggerswings in an arc about pivot pin 42 carrying spring loaded pawl 45 onits upper surface. The pawl 45 engages shoulder 21 on hammer 19 andmoves the hammer rearwardly. As the hammer moves rearwardly, itcompresses hammer spring 22. As the pawl moves rearwardly in an arc, itreleases the hammer which moves forward under spring force and strikesone of the firing pins 16. Since the :hammer is relieved at threesections 32, 33 and 34 on its face, only one firing pin is engaged bythe hammer. Pin 31 riding in cam track 30 on the hammer surface causesthe hammer to rotate during each fore and aft reciprocation.

When the trigger 41 is released, it is returned to its normal firingposition by spring 43 and pawl 45 is snapped back into place by pawlspring 47 which allows pawl 45 to ride over and engage behind shoulder21 on hammer 19.

The firearm is fired again by squeezing the trigger until all fourrounds are exhausted.

The firearm is then broken open and an ejector 54 seen tn FIGURE 5 aidsin expelling the fired shells.

The firearm is then reloaded and ready to fire.

While this invention has been described in detail with reference to apreferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, various design changesand modifications are also contemplated which are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A multi-barrel firearm including a barrel housing and trigger housingpivotally joined together, a plurality of barrels each having acartridge receiving chamber mounted in said barrel housing, a breechplug mounted in said trigger housing, a plurality of firing pinsslidably mounted in said breech plug, each of said firing pins beingaligned with a cartridge receiving chamber, a cylindrical rotary hammermounted rearwardly of said firing pins, means mounting said rotaryhammer in said trigger housing for rotation and for reciprocation towardand away from said firing pins along its longitudinal axis which isparallel to the longitudinal axes of said barrels, said rotary hammerincluding a forward face having recesses aligned with all but one ofsaid firing pins so that said rotary hammer is engageable with only onefiring pin at a time, a

trigger pivotally mounted in said trigger housing engageable with saidhammer to move said hammer rearwardly relative to said breech plug andrelease said hammer each time said trigger is pulled, spring meansbiasing said hammer toward a forward position adjacent said breech plug,a cam track formed in the outer surface of said rotary hammer, and meansmounted in said trigger housing engaging said cam track to rotate saidhammer into engagement with another firing pin each time the hammer ismoved fore and aft.

2. The firearm of claim 1 further including a circumferential shoulderprovided on a rearward portion of said hammer and a pawl movably mountedon an upper portion of said trigger operatively engageable behind saidshoulder to move said hammer rearwardly as the trigger is pulled.

3. The firearm of claim 1 including spring means to return said triggerto a forward position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 22,753 1/1859Sharps 42-40 1,637,079 7/1927 Karner 4269 2,354,025 7/ 1944 Johnson 42-1FOREIGN PATENTS 5,254 6/1892 Switzerland.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

1. A MULTI-BARREL FIREARM INCLUDING A BARREL HOUSING AND TRIGGER HOUSINGPIVOTALLY JOINED TOGETHER, A PLURALITY OF BARRELS EACH HAVING ACARTRIDGE RECEIVING CHAMBER MOUNTED IN SAID BARREL HOUSING, A BREECHPLUG MOUNTED IN SAID TRIGGER HOUSING, A PLURALITY OF FIRING PINSSLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BREECH PLUG, EACH OF SAID FIRING PINS BEINGALIGNED WITH A CARTRIDGE RECEIVING CHAMBER, A CYLINDRICAL ROTARY HAMMERMOUNTED REARWARDLY OF SAID FIRING PINS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID ROTARYHAMMER IN SAID TRIGGER HOUSING FOR ROTATION AND FOR RECIPROCATION TOWARDAND AWAY FROM SAID FIRING PINS ALONG ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS WHICH ISPARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID BARRELS, SAID ROTARY HAMMERINCLUDING A FORWARD FACE HAVING RECESSES ALIGNED WITH ALL BUT ONE OFSAID FIRING PINS SO THAT SAID ROTARY HAM-